Chapter 3: The Future Lab
William sat at his desk at the station, finishing up some last notes before his call with Julia. Inspector Choi, his new superior, had prepared a special space for him, meant to revolutionize his work on cases. It was modern, fully equipped, and William was just starting to explore its possibilities.
William picked up his phone, started a video call, and within moments Julia's face appeared on the screen.
"William!" she said excitedly, her face lighting up at the sight of him. "It's so good to see you."
"And you too, Julia," William replied with a warm smile. "Your presence, even through a screen, makes the day so much better."
She was dressed in a neat blouse, and the cozy interior of her London apartment was visible in the background. Beside her on the couch sat their little daughter, Susannah, flipping through a colorful picture book. When she spotted her father on the screen, her eyes lit up, and she shouted with excitement, "Daddy!" She jumped off the couch, moving closer to Julia and pointing at the screen. "Daddy, look! I got a new book!"
"I see it, sweetheart," William said, his smile widening. "What book is it?"
Susannah eagerly held up the book to the camera, explaining her favorite pages with enthusiasm. William listened attentively, occasionally asking questions that made the little girl giggle. Eventually, Susannah returned to her toys, leaving Julia alone in front of the phone.
"How are you holding up, William?" Julia asked, studying her husband's face intently.
"I'm doing well, Julia. The station's undergone a lot of changes, and Inspector Choi set up a new, special space for me. That's what I wanted to show you."
He stood up, holding the phone, and walked towards a set of doors. He passed through several corridors before stopping in front of a heavy door with an electronic lock. He swiped a magnetic card, and the door opened with a quiet hiss, revealing a room that looked like something out of a sci-fi movie.
"William, what is this?" Julia asked in awe, looking at the space through the screen.
"It's my new lab," he said proudly. "I can use it to develop my ideas and solve cases more effectively. It combines my earlier projects with the latest technologies."
William moved the phone around, showing the details of the room. There were worktables with state-of-the-art microscopes, 3D printers, advanced chemical analysis tools, and even a test area with motion sensors and thermal cameras.
"It's impressive," Julia said. "Inspector Choi must really appreciate your skills."
"He said he wanted to create a space that would help me solve cases and test my ideas." William pointed to one of the devices. "This is a drone with a thermal camera. It can be used to search for missing persons or survey crime scenes."
Julia smiled warmly.
"It's amazing, William. I can see you've found a place where you can truly spread your wings."
Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of footsteps. Inspector Choi appeared in the doorway, his hands clasped behind his back.
"I see you're showing off your new kingdom," he said with a small smile. "I hope it meets your expectations."
"It's perfect, Inspector. Julia is impressed as well," William said, turning the phone towards Choi.
"Pleasure to meet you, Doctor," Choi said with a polite nod towards the phone.
Julia returned his smile. "It seems William has found a solid ally in you."
Choi chuckled softly.
"I try to support the best people on my team. Detective Murdoch is certainly one of them," he said, then turned back to Julia. "I won't keep you any longer. It was lovely to meet you, Doctor. I hope we'll get to meet in person someday."
"Thank you, Inspector. I look forward to it," Julia added with a smile.
With a brief farewell, Choi left the room, leaving William alone with Julia.
William looked at Julia on the screen and smiled warmly. "Has Susannah gone back to her toys?" he asked with a small grin. "She seemed so engrossed in her new book."
"Yes, she loves it so much that she can't put it down," Julia said with a soft smile, glancing at her daughter. "But every day, she asks when she'll see you again. Yesterday, she said she wants you to read to her before bed over the phone."
William chuckled quietly. "Then we'll have to make it happen. How about tomorrow evening?" he suggested.
"Absolutely. It'll make her so happy," Julia agreed, her smile widening.
"I love you both," William said, looking directly at the screen.
"And we love you too," Julia replied. "Talk to you tomorrow, my love."
With those words, they ended the call. William looked around his new lab with a slight smile, feeling that his work was taking on a new dimension. Julia, though far away, was always his greatest support.
